As the financial year nears its close, the state government has reported no progress on these reforms, neither has any information being supplied to the Union government on completion of these amendments within the financial year. A official communiqué by Joint Secretary P.K. Srivastava of the Union Ministry of Urban Development has found Punjab lacking on these fronts.

The state government was to introduce reforms in the Rent Control Act, enact the Community Participation Law and the Public Disclosure Law by the end of the current fiscal, the progress on which is far below the mark. Reforms pertaining to transfer of city planning functions were also to be introduced, which also may not see the light of the day in the scheduled time-frame.

Sources in the government said that the reforms in Rent Control Act were planned for smooth vacation of commercial housing units upon conclusion of the tenancy period. The idea was to bring down growing litigation, property disputes in urban areas, said sources. Enactment of the Community Participation Law was to empower the civil society, industry and businesses with their involvement in affairs of municipal bodies, the implementation of which is behind schedule, said officials.

The Public Disclosure Act pertains to public screening or revision of municipal budget proposals. The government, however, contends that the process has been set rolling and some progress has been made on the projects mentioned by the Union Ministry.